The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck — Page 2
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Jemima Puddle-duck was not much in the habit of flying. She ran downhill a few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped off into the air.
Jemima Canard-Flaque n'avait pas vraiment l'habitude de voler. Elle dévala la colline sur quelques mètres en agitant son châle, puis elle s'élança dans les airs.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
She flew beautifully when she had got a good start.
Elle volait magnifiquement lorsqu'elle avait pris un bon élan.
She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she saw an open place in the middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had been cleared.
Elle rasa les cimes des arbres jusqu'à ce qu'elle aperçoive une clairière au milieu du bois, où les arbres et les broussailles avaient été dégagés.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Jemima alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting-place.
Jemima se posa assez lourdement, et commença à se dandiner à la recherche d'un endroit sec et commode pour faire son nid.
She rather fancied a tree-stump amongst some tall fox-gloves.
Elle fut assez attirée par une souche d'arbre entourée de grandes digitales.
But--seated upon the stump, she was startled to find an elegantly dressed gentleman reading a newspaper.
Mais -- assise sur la souche, elle fut surprise de trouver un monsieur élégamment vêtu en train de lire un journal.
He had black prick ears and sandy coloured whiskers.
Il avait les oreilles noires et pointues et des moustaches couleur sable.
"Quack?" said Jemima Puddle-duck, with her head and her bonnet on one side--"Quack?"
« Coin ? » dit Jemima Canard-Flaque, la tête et son bonnet penchés d'un côté -- « Coin ? »
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
The gentleman raised his eyes above his newspaper and looked curiously at Jemima--
Le monsieur leva les yeux par-dessus son journal et regarda Jemima avec curiosité --
"Madam, have you lost your way?" said he. He had a long bushy tail which he was sitting upon, as the stump was somewhat damp.
« Madame, vous êtes-vous perdue ? » dit-il. Il avait une longue queue touffue sur laquelle il était assis, car la souche était quelque peu humide.
Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome. She explained that she had not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a convenient dry nesting-place.
Jemima le trouva fort civil et beau. Elle expliqua qu'elle ne s'était pas perdue, mais qu'elle cherchait un endroit sec et commode pour faire son nid.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
"Ah! is that so? indeed!" said the gentleman with sandy whiskers, looking curiously at Jemima. He folded up the newspaper, and put it in his coat-tail pocket.
« Ah ! vraiment ? en effet ! » dit le monsieur aux moustaches couleur sable, regardant Jemima avec curiosité. Il plia le journal et le mit dans la poche de son pan de veste.
Jemima complained of the superfluous hen.
Jemima se plaignit de la poule importune.
"Indeed! how interesting! I wish I could meet with that fowl.
« En effet ! comme c'est intéressant ! Je voudrais bien rencontrer cette volaille.
Vocabulary
- n'
- Contraction of 'ne', used in negation
- avait
- Had; third person singular imperfect of avoir
- pas
- Not; used with ne to form negation
- vraiment
- Really, truly, genuinely
- l'
- Contraction of le or la before a vowel
- habitude
- Habit, custom, usual practice
- de
- Of, from; preposition indicating possession or origin
- voler
- To fly; also means to steal
- Elle
- She; third person singular feminine pronoun
- dévala
- Rushed down; past tense of dévaler, to rush downhill
- la
- The; feminine definite article
- colline
- Hill, a raised area of land
- sur
- On, over; preposition indicating position
- quelques
- A few, some; small indefinite number
- mètres
- Meters; units of measurement for distance
- en
- In, while; preposition or gerund marker
- agitant
- Waving, shaking; present participle of agiter
- son
- His, her, its; possessive adjective masculine singular
- châle
- Shawl, a wrap worn over the shoulders
- puis
- Then, next; indicates sequence of events
- elle
- She; third person singular feminine pronoun
- s'
- Reflexive pronoun contraction before a vowel
- élança
- Launched, leaped; past tense of s'élancer
- dans
- In, into; preposition indicating location or movement
- les
- The; definite article plural form
- airs
- Air, sky; plural referring to the open air
- volait
- Was flying; imperfect tense of voler
- magnifiquement
- Magnificently, splendidly, in a wonderful manner
- lorsqu'
- When; conjunction used before a vowel
- pris
- Taken; past participle of prendre, to take
- un
- A, an; indefinite article masculine singular
- bon
- Good; adjective describing quality or suitability
- élan
- Momentum, impetus, running start before jumping
- rasa
- Skimmed, grazed; past tense of raser, to skim
- cimes
- Treetops, summits; the highest points of trees
- des
- Of the, some; partitive or plural article
- arbres
- Trees; plural of arbre
- jusqu'
- Until, up to; preposition before a vowel
- à
- To, at; preposition indicating direction or location
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- qu'
- That, which; conjunction or pronoun before vowel
- aperçoive
- Notice, spot; subjunctive of apercevoir
- une
- A, an; indefinite article feminine singular
- clairière
- Clearing, open space in the middle of a forest
- au
- To the, at the; contraction of à + le
- milieu
- Middle, center; the central part of something
- du
- Of the; contraction of de + le
- bois
- Wood, forest; wooded area or the material wood
- où
- Where; relative pronoun or adverb of place
- et
- And; coordinating conjunction linking elements
- broussailles
- Undergrowth, brushwood, tangled shrubs and brambles
- avaient
- Had; third person plural imperfect of avoir
- été
- Been; past participle of être, to be
- dégagés
- Cleared, freed; past participle of dégager
- se
- Herself, himself; reflexive pronoun third person
- posa
- Landed, set down; past tense of poser
- assez
- Quite, rather, fairly; adverb indicating degree
- lourdement
- Heavily, clumsily; in a heavy or awkward manner
- commença
- Began, started; past tense of commencer
- dandiner
- To waddle; to walk with a swaying motion
- recherche
- Search, quest; act of looking for something
- d'
- Of, from; contraction of de before a vowel
- endroit
- Place, spot; a specific location
- sec
- Dry; adjective describing absence of moisture
- commode
- Convenient, suitable; easy to use or access
- pour
- For, in order to; preposition of purpose
- faire
- To make, to do; very common versatile verb
- nid
- Nest; a bird's home for laying eggs
- fut
- Was; third person singular past historic of être
- attirée
- Attracted, drawn; past participle of attirer
- par
- By, through; preposition indicating means or agent
- souche
- Tree stump; the base left after a tree is cut
- arbre
- Tree; a tall woody plant
- entourée
- Surrounded, encircled; past participle of entourer
- grandes
- Large, tall; feminine plural of grand
- digitales
- Foxgloves; tall flowering plants with bell-shaped blooms
- Mais
- But; coordinating conjunction indicating contrast
- assise
- Seated, sitting; feminine past participle of asseoir
- surprise
- Surprised; astonished by something unexpected
- trouver
- To find, to discover something or someone
- monsieur
- Mister, sir; polite title for a man
- élégamment
- Elegantly, stylishly; in a refined tasteful manner
- vêtu
- Dressed, clothed; past participle of vêtir
- train
- Process of; used in 'en train de' meaning currently doing
- lire
- To read; to look at and understand written text
- journal
- Newspaper, diary; a daily publication or record
- Il
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- oreilles
- Ears; organs of hearing, plural of oreille
- noires
- Black; feminine plural adjective of color noir
- pointues
- Pointed, sharp; feminine plural of pointu
- moustaches
- Whiskers, mustache; facial or animal whiskers
- couleur
- Color; the visual property of hue or shade
- sable
- Sand; fine granular material, also sandy color
- dit
- Said; third person singular past tense of dire
- tête
- Head; the upper part of the body
- bonnet
- Bonnet, cap; a soft hat tied under the chin
- penchés
- Tilted, leaning; past participle of pencher
- côté
- Side; the lateral part or direction
- Le
- The; masculine definite article
- leva
- Raised, lifted; past tense of lever
- yeux
- Eyes; plural of œil, organs of vision
- par-dessus
- Over, above; preposition meaning over the top
- regarda
- Looked at; past tense of regarder
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or manner
- curiosité
- Curiosity; desire to know or learn something
- Madame
- Madam, Mrs.; polite title for a woman
- vous
- You; second person plural or formal pronoun
- êtes-vous
- Are you; inverted interrogative form of être
- perdue
- Lost; feminine past participle of perdre
- longue
- Long; feminine adjective describing length
- queue
- Tail; the rear appendage of an animal
- touffue
- Bushy, thick; full of dense growth or fur
- laquelle
- Which, on which; feminine relative pronoun
- il
- He, it; third person singular masculine pronoun
- était
- Was; third person singular imperfect of être
- assis
- Seated, sitting; past participle of asseoir
- car
- Because, for; conjunction indicating reason
- quelque
- Some, somewhat; indefinite adjective or adverb
- peu
- Little, slightly; indicates small amount or degree
- humide
- Damp, humid, wet; moist to the touch
- le
- The, him; masculine definite article or pronoun
- trouva
- Found, considered; past tense of trouver
- fort
- Very, quite; adverb intensifying an adjective
- civil
- Polite, courteous; well-mannered in social behavior
- beau
- Handsome, beautiful; pleasant in appearance
- expliqua
- Explained; past tense of expliquer
- ne
- Not; first part of French negation with pas
- mais
- But; conjunction showing contrast or exception
- cherchait
- Was looking for; imperfect tense of chercher
- effet
- Effect; result, also used in 'en effet' meaning indeed
- aux
- To the, at the; contraction of à + les
- regardant
- Looking at; present participle of regarder
- plia
- Folded; past tense of plier, to fold
- mit
- Put, placed; past tense of mettre
- poche
- Pocket; a small pouch sewn into clothing
- pan
- Flap, panel; a section of a garment
- veste
- Jacket; a short coat worn over other clothing
- plaignit
- Complained, pitied; past tense of plaindre
- poule
- Hen; a female chicken or domestic fowl
- importune
- Troublesome, importunate; annoyingly persistent or bothersome
- En
- In, while; preposition or gerund marker
- comme
- How, as, like; conjunction or adverb of comparison
- c'
- It, this; contraction of ce before est
- est
- Is; third person singular present of être
- intéressant
- Interesting; engaging or holding one's attention
- Je
- I; first person singular subject pronoun
- voudrais
- Would like; conditional of vouloir, to want
- bien
- Well, very; adverb of manner or emphasis
- rencontrer
- To meet, to encounter someone or something
- cette
- This, that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- volaille
- Poultry, fowl; domestic birds raised for food
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